He suggested that the one common denominator among the 4 military takeovers in Pakistan has been that the leaders of the coups have always expected their move to be generally accepted by the masses.

Therefore, he suggested that it was important that if the military dictatorship was to organize elections, the members of the caretaker government should not take part in the elections or even leave the country during the elections for the elections to be seen as fair and free.

He urged mainstream political parties to use their grassroots connections and clout at the local level to gain wider support, much like the Mullahs in Pakistan have done.

The Pakistan'sfederal cabinet on April 12, 2006 decided that general elections would be held after the completion of the assemblies constitutional term by the end of 2007 or beginning of 2008.

Pakistan is the second largest Muslim country in terms of population, and its status as a declared nuclear power, being the only Muslim nation to have that status, plays a part in its international role.

Pakistan is also an important member of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

After over a year of political wrangling in the bicameral legislature, Musharraf struck a compromise with some of his Parliamentary opponents, giving his supporters the two-thirds majority vote required to amend the constitution in December 2003, retroactively legalizing his 1999 coup and permitting him to remain president if he met certain conditions.

Pakistan is a prominent member of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and an active member of the United Nations.

Pakistan pursues an active diplomatic relationship with Iran, and plans are underway to build a Natural Gas pipeline from Iran.

One loud impression about the daughter of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the ex-Premier of Pakistan, is that she happens to be little-bit opportunist in matters of politics.

Given the issues that have dominated the Pakistani politics since decades, the outline of the proposed agreement between the two mainstream parties is enough to prove that they have least to offer in matter of peace and progress.

They have intervened in politics due to existence of a vacuum; the politicians did push them into streets to serve their vested interests and evade their responsibilities vis-à-vis the people of Pakistan.

In Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier Province, many women who attempt to become engaged in politics are threatened and fined.

However, the Pakistan government led by President Pervez Musharraf boasts about the high number of women involved in all levels of government, saying it is the highest it has ever been, but they neglect to mention the millions of disenfranchised voters in the country’s Northwest Frontier Province.

A recent social audit conducted by the government of Pakistan’s National Reconstruction Bureau, said that one of the local government’s major flaws is its failure to engage women in the political process.

Pakistan's first constitution, that of 1956, was passed nine years after independence, and its bumpy passage was marked by a series of crises: the assassination of the first prime minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, the dismissal of the second prime minister, Khwajah Nizamuddin, and the dissolution of the first Constituent Assembly itself.

East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, was more populous than the five provinces of West Pakistan combined, yet the historically dominant western provinces were unwilling to concede proportional representation in the federal legislature to Bengali-speaking easterners.

Following Pakistan's military defeat and the secession of East Pakistan, Yahya Khan ceded power to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, chair of the Pakistan People's Party, who became president with the mandate to revive the political system.

Given that Pakistan recently had to deal with a huge earthquake, and is still facing internal turmoil, this is not surprising.

Given that Pakistan is ranked higher than Afghanistan, you would expect to see millions of Pakistanis fleeing to Afghanistan rather than the millions of Afghanis who refuse to leave Pakistan for their relatively better off country.

Not sure if that is good or bad for Pakistan because while he has done some good things, he is also responsible for allowing or building the fallacy that the “religious” parties enjoy the kind of support that would command the level of political representation they have managed to achieve during his tenure.

This evaluation should be based on actual history of Pakistan's behaviour towards India in the past 55 years and the motivations and intents as can be reasonably gleaned there from and not on a theoretical understanding of what might have happened elsewhere in the world.

In the first case, in mid 1980s, Pakistan explored the use of nuclear weapons when it was wrongly led to believe in the possibility of an Indian air strike on the uranium enrichment plant at Kahuta.

In Pakistan subsequently this crisis situation was described as the ‘‘Cuban Missile Crisis’’ of the subcontinent.

In 2000, Pakistan announced the Devolution Plan, an ambitious campaign to devolve administrative and financial powers from a highly centralized government to local bodies.

The three levels of government are intended to devolve political power, decentralize administrative authority and management functions, and distribute resources at different levels.

In the context of Pakistan’s local government elections, IFES worked with local partners to educate citizens about the upcoming elections and about the role of local government in their lives.

www.ifes.org /pakistan.html (222 words)

Pakistan Facts - Politics of Press in Pakistan(Site not responding. Last check: )

Since the killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002 ignited headlines around the world, Pakistani journalists have continued to be attacked, jailed, exiled or killed by authorities, local elites or extremist groups.

In a country where movements toward democracy must contend with a powerful radical Islamic movement and a history of army rule, Pakistan's press "largely holds its own under the military government led by Gen. Pervez Musharraf," according to the Manhattan-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

But the committee notes in its most recent summary on Pakistan that harassment by state intelligence agencies and other pressures "have intensified under Musharraf's rule." Pakistan recently has restricted the movements of foreign journalists, who historically have been able to travel freely in the country.

The members of the Observer Group contributed towards writing of the report which was prepared by the International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES), Colombo and jointloy published by the ICES and VIKAS Publishing House Pvt.

Women in Politics News article from Asia Times: This site gives a look into the varied yet crucial role that women have played in politics in Pakistan.

Pakistan's Permanent Mission to the UN Gives links to information about Pakistan (such as Basic Facts,Ministries and Departments, Pakistan and OIC, Pakistan and the NAM, Pakistani Media,Pakistan and SAARC,Pakistan and ECO,Pakistan and D -8 and other Useful sites) as well as speeches and statements made and the important issues being addressed.

PoliticalHistory of Modern Pakistan This site looks at how the party that is in power today in Pakistan recently came to power and how it began.

www.ou.edu /mideast/country/pakistan.htm (677 words)

The politics of Pakistan tour - Deccan Herald(Site not responding. Last check: )

The avarice of the Indian breed of politicians is a byword.

The statement that cricket venues in Pakistan other than Peshawar or Karachi are as safe as any in India is unpardonable sacrilege and a slap on the face of the Indian public.

Peshawar and Karachi are safe for one-day matches but not for five-day tests as if terrorists resort to shooting practice on the first day, fine tune their weapons on the second and let go on the third.

From the heydays of political activity in the 60s to the politically dormant entity of the 90s, a lot of change has taken place in student attitudes towards political activity.

The politics, which is practiced in Pakistan, has no bearing to the reality that exists in Pakistan and thus, the political debate in Pakistan is limited to a few personal arguments of the political parties in opposition and the government in power.